Getting ready for some football

Sunday

Jul 15, 2007 at 12:01 AMJul 20, 2007 at 12:28 PM

As the sports calendar drags through the dog days of summer, here are eight talking points for the upcoming NFL season (By the way, the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins are the first teams to open training camp, starting next Sunday.):

As the sports calendar drags through the dog days of summer, here are eight talking points for the upcoming NFL season (By the way, the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins are the first teams to open training camp, starting next Sunday.):

1. Brady to Moss

The mercurial Randy Moss is expected to help New England reach the Super Bowl again. But there's a good chance Moss will become a bigger headache for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick than Peyton Manning has been lately.

Even when Moss looked like the best receiver since Jerry Rice, he was trouble: dogging it on some plays, feuding with coaches and teammates, getting into scrapes off the field.

Maybe at 30 he has grown up. But his skills also have lessened. The Patriots might wish he had landed in Green Bay.

2. Can the Saints go from feel-good to Super Bowl?

The Saints have evolved from an inspiration to one of the "it" teams in the NFL. These aren't the Aints anymore, but also aren't a playoff lock.

The Colts proved that a team could win a Super Bowl with a high-powered offense and an average defense. With second-year coach Sean Payton calling plays, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Marques Colston will score a lot of points to win some shootouts.

The real challenge will be expectations. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, fans were just happy to have a team to cheer. Now, they'll expect to have a winner.

In New Orleans, that's never a guarantee. In 2000 under first-year coach Jim Haslett, the Saints won 10 times (like 2006) and their first playoff game (last year made No. 2). In 2001, they finished 7-9.

3. Rex Grossman could be benched by October

In the face of endless criticism from everyone except coach Lovie Smith, the Chicago Bears quarterback showed impressive resolve -- until a Super Bowl collapse for the ages.

If Grossman regains his confidence despite two fourth-quarter interceptions and two fumbled snaps in the biggest game of his life, he'll do it against a brutal early schedule (at San Diego, vs. Kansas City, vs. Dallas). Smith will have little choice but to turn to Brian Griese if Grossman flops in September.

4. Norv Turner gets another chance

Turner is 0 of 2 as a coach, having failed in Washington and Oakland. But he has been recycled by the San Diego Chargers in the wake of Marty Schottenheimer's messy exit. It's Turner's best opportunity to show he's more than a nice guy and good offensive coordinator.

With Turner running San Francisco's offense last season, the 49ers averaged 18.6 points compared with 30.8 for the Chargers. Now Turner has a chance to recapture the magic he had in Dallas, where he called plays for Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.

5. What longtime bottom feeder will make a move?

Detroit and Arizona have too many holes to justify their offseason optimism. But the 49ers seem to be on their way behind a 3-4 defense with an overhauled secondary (ex-Pro Bowlers Nate Clements and Michael Lewis), a Pro Bowl running back (Frank Gore) and an improving, young quarterback (2005 No. 1 pick Alex Smith).

San Francisco generated some buzz with two victories in its final three games. A so-so NFC West (Seattle, St. Louis, Arizona) also helps.

On the other hand, a tough four-game stretch beginning in week two (at St. Louis, at Pittsburgh, vs. Seattle, vs. Baltimore) could chill hopes early.

6. Calvin Johnson won't necessarily be the top rookie

The addition of the Georgia Tech receiver has Detroit journeyman quarterback Jon Kitna thinking he's Dan Marino. Ten wins for Detroit and 50 touchdown passes for Kitna aren't happening, although Johnson will end the curse afflicting rookie receivers in Motown.

The rookie with the biggest impact will be in Minnesota, where former Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson will become a star in an offense with an unproven quarterback (second-year pro Tarvaris Jackson).

Peterson's speed and power make him a home run threat on every down, and he will be running behind the best left side in the league (tackle Bryant McKinnie and guard Steve Hutchinson). His history of injuries is a concern, but he'll have help from fellow running back Chester Taylor.

7. Wade Phillips will do what Bill Parcells could not

Phillips, who has no playoff wins in five seasons, should lead the Cowboys to their first playoff victory since 1996. A botched extra point attempt in a first-round loss to Seattle capped Parcells' four-year stint in Dallas, but he left behind the Cowboys' most talented team since the 1990s.

The new boss will have to deal with Terrell Owens and the inconsistency of Tony Romo, who enters his first full season as a starting quarterback. But new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, the Dolphins' quarterbacks coach in 2006, is considered a future head coach for a reason.

8. This season convinces Brett Favre to retire

The offseason bumbling of the front office made Favre wonder why he had decided to return for a 16th season in Green Bay. Favre wanted another weapon for his offense, but general manager Ted Thompson missed a chance to get Moss, slept through the free-agency period and drafted a defensive lineman coming off a major injury (defensive tackle Justin Harrell of Tennessee) with the 16th pick.

Still, if Green Bay misses the playoffs for the third consecutive season, Favre must look in the mirror. In the past two years, he has thrown for far more interceptions (47) than touchdowns (38), and his passer rating dipped below 73 both seasons.

-- Edgar Thompson The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post

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